Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant Asian Buffet Review

Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant has been operating out of Quality Hotel at Balestier Road for more than 10 years. Recently, we went to the restaurant for our reunion dinner. Besides serving ala cart dishes, the restaurant is essentially more well known for its Asian and steam boat buffet. The Asian buffet is only available from Friday to Sunday and Public Holidays while the steamboat buffet from Monday to Thursday. We advise you to reserve your table in advance as its buffets are very popular.

Lotus is one of the few vegetarian restaurants in Singapore which serves buffet to customers. The buffet is divided into several sections. The main section carried the bulk of the food including staple food like riced rice and mee hoon. There are also vegetables and mock meat. Within this section, you have the opportunity to “cook” some skewered food in a hot pot similar to the street food you would find at Taiwan night market. There are also mini stalls which will serve customers chicken rice and Laksa. You can also find a small salad bar, pastry and soup section.

We like the ambiance of the restaurant with its oriental furnishings. This is definitely the place of choice if you need to hold big family gatherings or celebrations or even impress your business partners. The customer service is prompt and attentive. Plates and utensils are readily available for your usage at the main food section.

Ambiance: 5/5

Vegetarian Chicken Rice

At first, you may be disappointed by the small portion of chicken rice on the plate but you can always get several plates at one go. We like the fragrance of the rice and spiciness of the chilli, though there is noting about special about the sliced mock chicken.

Quality: 4/5

Char Siew Bun

The Char Siew Bun is really excellent! The texture and taste of the Char Siew fillings are very authentic. The dough is soft to the bite. You can literally gobble up the bun in one bite. The only equivalent is the one which I have eaten many years ago at Divine Realm Restaurant when it was located at Eminent Plaza. It no longer made the Char Siew Bun once it has relocated to Hougang.

Quality: 5/5

Laksa

The Laksa is slightly watery and does not pack a punch at all. The saving grace is that the noodles and beancurds are tender.

Quality: 3.5/5

Cream of Mushroom

At first glance, the cream of mushroom looks promising but it really tastes bland.

Quality: 3/5

Curry Potato

On the other hand, the curry potato is a different story from the cream of mushroom. The gravy is thick and spicy, with the potato thoroughly cooked and soft.

Quality: 4.5/5

Sushi

We love the selection and presentation of Sushi from Lotus. Unfortunately, they really taste bland regardless of the different ingredients they have utilised for each different Sushi.

Quality: 3.5/5

Pastries

We find the pastries generally too sweet. Special mention goes to the coconut kueh which has just the right sweet taste with its soft texture which literally melts in your mouth.

Quality: 3.5/5

Beancurd Roll

We like the texture and taste of the beancurd roll and its fillings.

Quality: 4/5

Conclusion:

At $19 per person, it is difficult for us to recommend the buffet to all our readers. Basically, you can get better value from ala cart menu dishes elsewhere at this price per person. If budget is not a concern for you, the vegetarian buffet is quite an experience as there are not many vegetarian buffets in Singapore. Come with an empty stomach and you will be rewarded.

You can find out the operating hours and other details about Lotus here. You can also read about our reunion dinner experience at Lotus.

Lotus is located several bus stops away from the Novena and Boon Keng MRT station. Hence you will have to take a bus or taxi from both MRT to reach the restaurant.